I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Semiosis by Sue Burke Published by Tor Books on February 6 2018
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful story of colonization, survival and communication.
We’d learned a lot, including one more thing. The bamboo was very friendly. Fruit appeared right away near the house where we stayed. Then one of the trunks where we’d tied our hammocks grew a shoot. Each of the new leaves had stripes of a different color, a little rainbow built out of leaves instead of bark to show that it had observed us and recognized us as an intelligent species like itself. It had delivered a message, a welcome home, because it wanted us to stay.
Most of my blogger friends who have already read and reviewed Semiosis praised it highly, so I was excited to dive in to see what they were talking about. I’ll admit this book was not at all what I expected, but that’s a good thing, as you’ll see when you read this review.
Semiosis takes place over a period of many years, seven generations, in fact. Each chapter features characters from a particular generation of colonists who have arrived at a planet they call Pax, after leaving war-and-disease-torn Earth for a better life. The first generation of colonists comes armed with skills in farming, and with very little resources left after their long space flight, they must quickly adapt to their surroundings and figure out how to survive. Luckily, Pax is similar to Earth in many ways, and despite losing some of their party in a shuttle crash, the colonists quickly learn how to live off the land.
What they aren’t prepared for, however, are the strange and dangerous plants and animals that inhabit the planet. Little by little, the colonists realize they must adapt to the dangers around them, or perish. They encounter life forms of all kinds, some that they can train to help with labor, some they must avoid at all costs, and some that they eventually learn how to communicate with in strange and wonderful ways.
Because this story unfolds over a long period of time, the characters mostly change with each chapter, which makes it a little harder to relate to them. This might be challenging for some readers who rely on characterizations for most of their enjoyment when reading, but I actually loved the scope of the story, and I thought the author did a great job creating well-rounded characters, even if they only stick around for a short time. There is one character who made a huge impact on me, and that was Stevland the bamboo plant. I know what you’re thinking: A bamboo plant that has a name and is a character? Keep in mind that we aren’t on Earth anymore, and animals and plants do not behave the way you expect them to. I don’t want to give too much away, but I do want to say that Stevland appears in most of the chapters, which made him much easier to relate to. Some of the sections are told from his point of view, and I loved getting into the “head” of a giant bamboo plant.
In fact, I found myself just as interested in the strange plants and animals as the characters, although it’s the odd symbiotic relationship between the humans and the flora and fauna that makes up the heart of this story. If you’ve ever wondered how language develops, then you’ll love Semiosis. It was fascinating to watch how the communication between different species grew and changed over time, as the humans struggle at first, and then succeed, in puzzling out the language of another species. Likewise, I was riveted (and horrified!) by the fact that Stevland is actually smarter than the humans. Stevland’s ability to think, adapt and even manipulate was chilling. I haven’t done any research on plant life myself, but I’m convinced that Sue Burke has done plenty, and I’d be curious to know how much of her story is based in truth.
But plants aren’t the only cool world-building element. I loved Burke’s animals. My favorite is the fippokat, a cross between a rabbit and a cat, a small animal with green fur (for camouflage in the grass!) that can be trained like a dog. There are also moth-winged lizards that eat human flesh, floating plants, pink slugs and many more odd and alien creatures. You just have to remember as you’re reading that a “bluebird” on Pax is not necessarily the bluebird you’re familiar with.
The only real negative for me was that Semiosis felt really long. It took nearly two weeks to read, and while I’ll admit my life has been super busy lately, I still felt as if I should have been able to finish it more quickly. Near the end is a very long chapter where the narrative moves among the colonists, Stevland and an alien race called the glass makers. Neither one has speech patterns similar to ours, so going back and forth among the three different races was challenging.
But aside from this issue, Semiosis was a fascinating read. This is a book of ideas, a thoughtful observation on the way different species interact, punctuated by some very tense scenes where the colonists are simply trying to survive. It’s particularly interesting because it’s set on another planet, with plants and animals that are convincingly foreign. And yet, the way they develop, and the symbiotic relationships they have with each other, are very familiar. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed science fiction tale about colonizing a new planet, you won’t find that here. Instead, if you love stories that make you think, especially science oriented stories, then you will love the intricate details and relationships in this book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Great review, Tammy. I’ve been thinking about trying this one myself.
Lauren @ Always Me recently posted…Arm of the Sphinx (The Books of Babel #2) by Josiah Bancroft (ARC) – Review
Thanks Lauren, I recommend it!
So now I want a fippokat – never mind that they don’t really exist. I’ve not been really interested in this one before but your review does have me curious. Great thoughts.
Barb (boxermommyreads) recently posted…Think You’ve Got Neighbors From Hell – Neighborhood Watch Review
Ha ha me too! They are really sweet in this story, not like some of the other KILLER animals, lol.
This sounds really different and interesting
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Friday Firsts – Lake Silence by Anne Bishop
It is different, but in a good way:-)
Your review makes me very happy to have Semiosis already sitting on my reading queue 🙂
Colonization stories, together with generation ship stories, are among my favorite in SF novels, and this one seems to have something different to offer, mostly because of the symbiotic relationship you mentioned: in this kind of stories, usually human colonists have to battle with alien flora and fauna to survive (as they seem to do here), but most of the times it ends badly for the alien life-forms, so I’m glad that this novel choose to take another path…
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: THE LAST SEA GOD (The Bone War #1), by Ashley Capes
Oh good, I’m so curious to hear your thoughts! This story started out slow but it really grew on me after I figured out what the author was doing.
It’s a very thought provoking book really. Not what I originally expected and I probably wouldn’t have requested a copy if I’d known from the outset that the story would take place over seven generations. As it is I’m very glad I did.
Lynn 😀
Me too, I’m glad I took the chance on it, so unusual yet rewarding.
Wow, this sounds super fascinating. I just read Annihilation so this one feels a bit similar in the weirdness. haha
Bonnie @ For the Love of Words recently posted…Audiobook Review – Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow Trilogy #1) by Jason Matthews
It did remind me of Annihilation in some ways, it’s definitely on the strange side:-)
I missed this one somehow. It sure sounds like quite the adventure and I’m thinking it would be a good one for me to try. And that cover. Wow!
Laura Thomas recently posted…Raw and Wriggling ~ Witch Creek by Laura Bickle ~ Review and Giveaway
I love the cover too, very simple yet effective!
I added it to my Amazon cart. The ebook was a bit more than I like to spend for one so I’m going for a print copy.
Laura Thomas recently posted…Raw and Wriggling ~ Witch Creek by Laura Bickle ~ Review and Giveaway
Waaahh the oddness of these creatures makes it just that much more interesting! Absolutely awesome review, Tammy. I’d definitely love to give this one a shot after reading this review (actually the only review I’ve read for the book too heheh) 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…The Promise of the Child by Tom Toner
Thanks Lashaan, I have not seen too many reviews, but it definitely needs some more attention, it’s so well written:-D
I didn’t expect the multi generational story when I picked it up either, and I think the format in general is quite a lot to ask from readers since you’re switching tack every time you jump ahead. I can definitely see how that can slow things down. I think this book worked better for me than many other multi gen novels though, because each story was different enough to keep me interested, unlike the last multi gen book I read (Secret History of Witches).
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Yep, the stories in SHOW were so repetitive!
I love the sound of this one! I’ll have to see if I can pick it up once my TBR gets a little less teetering
I could see you enjoying this, Sarah. Good luck with that TBR!
Fantastic review!
These types of science fiction novels are my favourite. Glad you see you reviewed it favourably 🙂
This is definitely an unexpected plot, I think. Not sure it’s my cup of tea, though .
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for far too long – love seeing people review it well.
Your review has me even more excited. You cover an impressive depth here without betraying any spoilers, and it’s thrilling.
Ardis Ramey recently posted…Meg Elison triumphs again with the Book of Etta